This was an incredible day on the water. We had at least 5 families (T36, T36Bs, some of the T99s, T100s, T101s, and T137s) of these marine mammal eaters interacting together for hours. They were rolling around together at the surface, vocalizing like crazy (which is something Bigg’s Orca rarely do ever, let alone belt out continuous sound to one another), blowing raspberries at the surface (which is when they expel air through the blowhole and make a farting sound … Seriously!!), and all the calves and juveniles from the different families playing together.
It was such a thrill and a privilege to get to spend time next to these whales when they are letting their guard down and taking time to socialize. They are normally cryptic, silent, and stealthy, but on this day, all of their predatory prowess was stripped away for awhile to reveal an incredibly tender and intimate side.

One of my best days ever on the water. Transient killer whales rock!!

-Tasli